PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a lightweight MMA rules bout between Kichiro Kaneko (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class) and Luigi Watanabe (ranked 0 p4p, 0 weight class). Watanabe is bouncing up and down as he enters the arena, backed by Bad Man A Step. Luigi Watanabe has the eye of the tiger tonight.

Kaneko
vs
Watanabe

178 cm
23
170 lbs
7 - 1 - 0

175 cm
23
164 lbs
8 - 5 - 0

Good wrestling
Excellent boxer
Very quick

BJJ Purple Belt
Excellent MT
Knockout power

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the lightweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 7 - 1 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Kichiro Kaneko!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 8 - 5 - 0, fighting out of Montreal, Luigi Watanabe!
The judges for this bout are Trevor Gratis, William Peck and Dillan Fox.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Kaneko lands a jab. Then a cross. Then finally a nice hook to the body. Good work there by Kaneko.

Kaneko forces Watanabe back against the cage and clinches.
Kaneko displaying some good clinch control by pressing Watanabe up against the cage.
Watanabe tries to break free but Kaneko pushes him back against the cage.
Watanabe can't break the clinch.

Watanabe jumps into guard, dragging Kaneko to the mat.
It looks like the ref is thinking about a standup.
Watanabe being controlled here, momentarily.
Watanabe keeping moving, preventing Kaneko from controlling successfully.

That's one minute gone in the round.

The referee decides to stand the fighters back up, due to lack of activity on the part of Kichiro Kaneko.
Kaneko lands a head kick. Watanabe smiles back at him and beckons him forward.
Watanabe showing good head movement there, avoiding the strikes from Kaneko.
Kaneko throws a hook but Watanabe avoids it easily.
Watanabe misses with the body kick

and Kaneko counters with a nice shoot takedown that brings the fighters to the ground.
Kaneko looking to pass the guard.

Watanabe pushes Kaneko off and gets back to his feet.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
This is a great period of action - very entertaining stuff!
Watanabe takes one to the side of the head.
An inside leg kick lands from Kaneko.
Kaneko avoids a kick to the body.
Kaneko looks to land a combination but Watanabe avoids it well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Kaneko throws a quick inside leg kick.
Kaneko takes a step back and watches a body kick go sailing past his mid section.
Watanabe throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Kaneko misses the shot to the body.
Luigi Watanabe is looking to keep the fight on the feet at all costs.
Watanabe feints with a shoulder and throws a nice leg kick to Kaneko's calf.
Watanabe scores with a kick to the body.
Kaneko misses with a low kick as Watanabe jumps back.
Watanabe looking to throw a kick but he's pulled out of it.
Kaneko scores with a push kick.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kaneko looks to land a combination. Watanabe sees it coming but can only parry a couple of the shots.

Kaneko shoots in for a takedown and gets it. Oh and he's advanced to full mount straight away.
Kaneko is breathing heavily.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
Watanabe wants to try and get back to his feet.
Watanabe is in a horrible position here, under a barrage of strikes, he's managing to avoid any damage.
Poor strikes thrown by Kaneko there. More accuracy and less frantic strikes would help!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kaneko thowing shots but they're missing.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kichiro Kaneko dominated that round.
The fighters' corners scream their final instructions, as the referee calls time. Here we go, back to the action!

Kaneko throws a nice hook to the body that draws an oooh from the crowd.
Kaneko with a poor takedown
and Watanabe counters with a body kick.
Kaneko moves out of range of the body kick.
Kaneko misses with a wild body shot.
Kaneko lands a jab to Watanabe's midsection.
Kaneko throws a nice head kick!
Watanabe uses good footwork to get in and out and land a nice right hand before Kaneko has time to react.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Kaneko, as that shot connected.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Kaneko moves into the clinch.
A real battle for position is taking place between these two warriors.
Watanabe is trying to break the clinch but Kaneko has him pressed against the cage.

Watanabe breaks the clinch and we return to the middle of the mat.
Watanabe takes a really solid shot there but just smiles back and shrugs his shoulders.
Kichiro Kaneko seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Kaneko misses with a looping left.
Kaneko lands a jab.
Kaneko fails with a takedown attempt from distance.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe lets loose with a powerful body kick. Kaneko will feel that in the morning.
Both fighters are absolutely exhausted here.
Kaneko scores with a jab to the head.
Kaneko throws a looping overhand right but Watanabe ducks down to avoid it.
Watanabe looks to land a body kick but Kaneko moved away.
Kaneko wants to clinch up but Watanabe keeps it at a distance.
Kaneko throws a right and a left that both miss.
Watanabe fakes with the hands and throws a leg kick but Kaneko is out of range.
Kichiro Kaneko is winning the standup battle so far.
Watanabe bobs and weaves and unloads with a good uppercut.
Fantastic stuff here - a very entertaining period of action, which has drawn cheers from the crowd.
A lazy body kick from Watanabe
and Kaneko counters with a leg kick that reverborates around the arena.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe steps to his left, right into the path of a big body kick from Kaneko. That one must have hurt.
Watanabe misses with a body kick.
Kaneko throws a looping overhand right but Watanabe ducks down to avoid it.
Kaneko jabs at Watanabe's body.
Watanabe has his head snapped back a nice jab. A little nod from Watanabe there as he acknowledges the shot.
Kaneko lands with a nice body punch.
Watanabe misses with a kick to the body
and Kaneko connects with a straight left hand counter down the middle.
Watanabe avoids a low kick by using good footwork.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Kaneko tries to clinch there but Watanabe circles away.
Watanabe pivots as if he's going to throw a leg kick but stops half way.
Watanabe tries to move into range but Kaneko moves to the side and lands with a nice right hand.
Kaneko fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
That's three failed takedown attempts in the round for Kichiro Kaneko. That's going to take a lot out of him.
A really sloppy takedown attempt there from Kaneko.
Kaneko looks for a takedown here. Will he get it? Watanabe is fending him off so far but Kaneko persists. Nope, Watanabe circles away and we're back to standing.
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Kaneko fails miserably with a takedown attempt.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Kichiro Kaneko dominated that second round.
That's the end of the interval. I'm sure that seemed a lot quicker than a minute for our two fighters! Back to the action. Let's get this one finished - here comes the final round!

Watanabe lands with a kick to the ribs.
Kaneko avoids a kick to the body.
Kaneko digs a good body shot into Watanabe's ribs.
Watanabe scores with a push kick.
Watanabe tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kaneko manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Kaneko throws a mid kick that lands with a slap.
Both fighters are breathing heavily.
Kaneko throws an ugly left hook that misses
and Watanabe makes the exchange count by landing a cracking kick to the body. Kaneko really felt that one!
Watanabe throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Kaneko fails to land the takedown.
Watanabe pulls out of a head kick attempt.
Watanabe is looking to score with low kicks.
Watanabe tries to land a front kick but Kaneko steps back. That was a bit too telegraphed.
A big left from Kaneko misses.
Kaneko falls off balance throwing a combination
and Watanabe counters with a good, hard body kick but Kaneko shrugs it off.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Kaneko misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Watanabe moves out of range of the body kick from Kaneko.
Kaneko loads up on a big right hand but Watanabe slips the punch.
Watanabe misses with a head kick.
Watanabe avoids the head kick by Kaneko.
Kaneko throws an off balance right hand
and Watanabe counters with a three punch combination, finished off with a leg kick. Nice work.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe keeps the fight on the outside.
A kick lands to the mid section there for Watanabe.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Watanabe.
Watanabe just misses with a punch to the body.
Watanabe throws a body kick but he was well out of range there.
Kaneko fails with a takedown attempt from distance.
Kaneko scores with a crisp jab that stopped Watanabe in his tracks.
Kaneko tries to clinch but is not successful on this occasion.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Watanabe cracks Kaneko with an open hand slap.
Watanabe tries to clinch up.
Watanabe explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Watanabe tries to clinch up against the cage, rushing in the close the distance. Kaneko manages to break the clinch and circles back to the middle of the mat.
Watanabe is looking to land body kicks.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Watanabe.
The fans in attendance giving it up for the two fighters, who have really let it all hang out in the last minute or so!
As the round comes to an end the crowd are showing their appreciation for a great round of action.
Watanabe throws a head kick that misses.
Luigi Watanabe has stepped it up - he knows he needs a finish here!
Watanabe lands with a nice body kick.

And that's the end of the fight!
Luigi Watanabe comfortably won the final round on my scorecard.
I think Kaneko has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Trevor Gratis scores the fight 29:28
Judge William Peck scores the fight 29:28
Judge Dillan Fox scores the fight 29:28

In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Kichiro Kaneko!